Despite the fact that Microsoft recently announced the early termination of service and support for all editions of Windows 7 and the forced transfer of users to the tenth modification, it is this version of the operating system that is still very popular among users around the world. Especially often it is used by gamers, because, unlike later releases, the "seven" does not load the system resources of the computer so much, it is very lightweight and adapted to different OS applications in terms of compatibility even with outdated games. But after all, the “seven” itself is produced in several variations. And that is why quite often you have to decide for yourself which version of Windows 7 is better for games. To understand this difficult issue, it is necessary to build on the results of comparing some important features of the system, as well as take into account the opinions of specialists and users who install modern computer games in its environment.
Which Windows 7 is better for games: basic parameters for testing various system modifications
So, first of all, let us dwell on the editions of the “seven” itself available for installation on computers and laptops. The main modifications are considered to be:
- Starter, or Initial.
- Home Basic / Premium, or Home Basic / Advanced.
- Professional, or Professional.
- Ultimate, or Maximum.
- Enterprise, or Corporate.
The corporate edition can fundamentally be excluded from the number of tested modifications, since it can be found very rarely on home computers, because it is designed not for games at all, but for solving more complex problems and is mainly used in offices or at medium and large enterprises.
Of course, it would be possible to test for which “Windows” - 7 or 10 - is better for games, but here in almost all indicators the “ten” leads, as evidenced not only by expert reviews, but all kinds of benchmarks, the results of which are laid out on the Internet, despite even some significant flaws. It even has a special game mode, which the Seven can only dream of. Therefore, we will focus solely on which Windows 7 is better to install for games on your PC or laptop initially.
It goes without saying that when comparing the editions of the Seven itself, some important characteristics of each of them must be taken into account. First of all, most experts advise you to pay attention to the following parameters:
- bit depth of the OS;
- support for graphics and complex visual effects;
- the ability to use the maximum amount of RAM;
- support for modern processors and activation of all CPU cores;
- compatibility with outdated software.
Which Windows 7 is better for games: 64 or 86?
So, the first indicator is the capacity of the system. Which architecture to prefer?
All the latest operating systems of this family are available both in the form of 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) modifications. It is believed that 64-bit systems work much faster when compared with 32-bit systems, since this architecture allows the use of virtually unlimited amounts of RAM and modern processors. Naturally, if your computer configuration supports the installation of x64 modifications, it is better to use them. In relation to Windows 7, the result is this: in addition to the Starter modification, all other editions are available in two versions. In terms of productivity and speed of working with the setting of conditional ratings (points) for each release, the places were distributed as follows:
- Initial - 1.
- Home Basic - 2.
- Home Extended - 4.
- Professional and maximum - 5.
Graphic effects support
Now let's see which Windows 7 is better for games based on graphics support indicators (visual effects, complex textures, etc.).
According to research results, graphics support is significantly limited in the initial and home base editions. The rest of the modifications cope with the processing of graphics in full, but the maximum among all occupies a leading position, since it is focused on performing much more complex calculations in floating point operations. Not surprisingly, it costs an order of magnitude higher. Seats are allocated in the same way as in the previous case, with the same points received.
RAM limits
As you know, modern computer games are very demanding on the system resources of any computer or laptop. First of all, this applies to used or supported amounts of RAM, which is responsible for processing most software game modules. Which Windows 7 is better for games on a laptop or on a stationary PC, it is easy to understand if you look just at the limitations on the RAM used.
Alas, the initial edition can only work with a limit of 2 GB, which is extremely low for modern games. The home base can work either with 4 GB or with 8 GB of RAM in case of installing 32- or 64-bit modifications, respectively. Home extended recognizes a maximum of 16 GB of "RAM", while professional and maximum have no restrictions at all. Based on this, and also taking into account the opinions of experts who tested all the editions, the points scored, as in the previous two tests.
Support for modern processors
Understanding which Windows 7 is better for games, of course, one should also consider the possibility of using modern central processors, for which all CPU cores can be used directly in the system settings.
Among all the editions of the "seven" available for installation, only the Initial modification fails to activate the maximum possible number of processor cores. But, despite the fact that the rest of the releases seem to have no limitations, places with the ratings obtained from the test results are distributed as follows:
- Initial - 1.
- Home Basic - 3.
- Home Extended - 4.
- Professional and Maximum - 5.
Legacy Application Compatibility
It's no secret that many gamers are very fond of already outdated games, which at one time became classics of a certain genre. Launching games designed for earlier modifications of the system does not always work correctly. If we talk about which Windows 7 is better for games by these indicators, full support is available only in the professional release.
The conclusion about this can be made even by the presence in the system itself of a special emulator of the Windows XP environment. Accordingly, the test results are as follows:
- Initial - 1.
- Home Basic - 2.
- Home extended and maximum - 4.
- Professional - 5.
The overall result
Finally, it's time to draw the line. Here are the test results obtained by conducting comparisons by independent experts. According to the points scored, it is easy to understand that the Maximum and Professional modifications look best, however, the Pro version is slightly higher than its closest competitor. But now, judging by these two editions by user reviews in various forums and discussions on the Internet, there is absolutely no difference in passing games. It is understood that the comparison applies only to computer configurations with the same games and the same hardware installed. However, if the installed game is not so demanding on the hardware, you can install Windows 7 on your terminal in the form of an extended home edition (according to the test results, it is not much behind the leaders, however).